Reflections from a Rotational Engineering program alum

Jul 25 2022

Reflections from a Pathways Engineering program alum

By Meta Careers

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Meta runs on diversity of thought and is powered by people from all over the globe with a wide range of backgrounds. These unique perspectives empower us to keep growing and build amazing products. As we continue to expand, we understand that incredible talent lies beyond traditional recruiting channels.

We launched the Pathways Engineering program to provide opportunities to grow the skills of programmers and engineers from non-traditional and underrepresented backgrounds. We look for people poised to make an impact, with the right mix of technical skills, experience and mentorship.

Our one-year Pathways Engineering program is designed to provide all three. Pathways engineers first complete Meta’s engineering bootcamp, which combines training on our tools, technologies and best practices with continuous mentorship and partnership with peers. Throughout the remainder of the training program, participants are matched to a team and, work side by side with other engineers and ship code on projects and products directly related to our mission and growth.

Here, Meta software engineer and program alumni Amal L. shares her experience in the Pathways Engineering program:

What surprised you most about Meta's culture after starting?

Before working at Meta, I worked as an engineer for over a decade. During those years, my experience was never valued. At Meta, my perspective and job experience is beyond respected. One of my managers helped me unlock my potential to influence different products on the Facebook app and make them more inclusive to a wider set of users.

What advice do you have for current students and recent grads?

Use all available resources: ask questions, explore different content but most of all connect with others, especially those a few years ahead of you. Even if you don’t know every question to ask, mentors can provide invaluable insights. A great mentor will steer you from making the same mistakes they made and teach you lessons from their experience. Knowing that others went through similar troubles will also strengthen your self confidence. Double win.

Something else you want to share?

Before joining the program, I was a bit confused about why such a program was useful for a company like Meta, and why I was selected to participate. It's been three years since I graduated from the Pathways Engineering program, and I've collaborated with many Pathways engineers from the program. I now understand the value of the program much more: the diversity of skills brought to the program are critical. This program specifically looks for software engineers from any industry with unique backgrounds. To continue building world-class products, we need fresh ideas, perspectives and the diversity of skills this program brings.

Explore more about the Pathways Engineering program.

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